Like it or not, the Duluth School District is moving forward with its Red Plan. Though we still hear voices from both sides of the issue, the ball is rolling quickly toward this major reconfiguration of our city's educational system.
We'll truly begin to see its effect this fall, when our district is reduced to two middle schools. Positives and negatives will continue to be debated as the public gets an initial glimpse of how the product will work.
With this impending merger, many concerns have been raised regarding the future of athletics in this plan.
As a coach at Central, I've been bombarded with questions referring to boundaries, numbers of participants, facilities, who will be coaching where and numerous other inquiries.
Like everyone else, I really have no answers. These decisions are under careful consideration, being examined from every angle and will not be rendered until all potential scenarios have been given thought.
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It's an unfortunate fact that, at the high school level, there will be a reduction in the number of students participating in varsity sports when three schools become two. While the teams should be stronger and more competitive, some athletes will fall by the wayside due to cuts.
Using basketball as an example, a dozen or so kids who would have played in previous years will fall victim to a numbers game. There simply will not be enough room to keep all who are interested. These cuts will be necessary in order to have a workable program.
Though this aspect of downsizing is certainly a painful drawback, Duluth is not the first to have to implement such a thing. For years, schools all across Minnesota have been forced to consolidate due to declining enrollments and population.
It's hoped that strong intramural activities will be offered for those still wishing to compete. These events are quite popular in the existing system, and an expanded program will turn out to be a tremendous social asset.
It's also possible this merging could lead to a reinstatement of middle school athletic teams in our city. Though little has been heard about this, next fall would be an ideal time to get it organized.
Until the early 1990s, our school district sponsored such teams in softball, basketball, swimming, golf and track. Due to a budget shortfall, these were eliminated and left a large number of young athletes with no one to play for.
Recently, swimming and track have returned, joining volleyball to provide great opportunities for kids to be a part of something. The downside of this is that the seasons are short -- and practices and games are at a minimum.
Before those budget cuts some 20 years ago, the six middle schools (junior highs then) competed against each other in formal leagues. The contests, particularly basketball, drew a lot of attention and were very well-attended.
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Practices or games were held nearly every day, providing great feeder programs for the high schools. Very little travel was required, making for limited transportation costs and easing the burden for parents.
It would be great if we could get back to this in some form.
Nearby schools -- including Superior, Hermantown and Proctor -- already have such teams in place and would be a great fit for the new schools of Duluth.
Doing this now would also give opportunities to those not able to play on the travel teams which now dominate youth sports. Currently, many who are cut from these exclusive squads have nowhere to turn, thus ending their athletic endeavors at too early an age.
Other activities not common at middle schools could also be added. Danceline, lacrosse and flag football are three great examples of teams that use a high number of participants. Like at high schools, intramurals could be strong as well.
Whether justified or not, many have criticized the Red Plan.
Let's not forget it also has the potential to provide some great opportunities for Duluth's young people. It's important we take advantage of this.
Dave LeGarde is the Duluth Central basketball coach and a sports aficionado. E-mail him at dlegarde@charter.net .
